Talk:Speech on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Open source?
What makes this speech open source? Surely it isn't because X-years have passed since the author's death. Why then? &mdash;ScouterSig 02:04, 15 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Speeches like this one are a very sore spot here on Wikisource; the law is not clear, and case law is erring on the side of protecting the works of people who take the matter to court.
 * Public speeches are not inherently copyright in the U.S., unless it is written down. (see here)  This one could have been written down, or at least heavily based on a draft; it is hard to know.
 * Kennedy was a US federal employee up to the time he was assassinated, so it is possible that someone would claim this speech was given as a part of his job as a senator, which would make it public domain as PD-USGov.
 * If the estate of the author asked us to take it down, we would quickly comply. If someone takes this to WS:COPYVIO, I am not sure what the community decision would be. John Vandenberg (chat) 06:57, 15 May 2008 (UTC)